Scotland's Health Secretary Neil Gray says NHS 'needs' Budget to pass

Scotland’s Health Secretary has said “our NHS needs this Budget to pass” as he urged other parties to unite behind it.

Neil Gray said that if approved by Parliament, the 2025/26 Budget will deliver record health and social care funding of £21bn to ensure faster, more accessible care by improving capacity and tackling systemic challenges like delayed discharge.

He said initiatives within the draft Budget will help build a “modern, resilient NHS”, but said that such “transformational investments” can only be delivered if other parties back it.

The minority SNP Government needs to find support from at least one other party to get its Budget, unveiled on December 4, through Holyrood.

Gray said: “We are determined to drive improvements in our NHS and deliver the best possible service for patients.

“But I know that some people are waiting too long and finding it difficult to get appointments – we have listened and we are taking action. That is what people can expect from this Government.

“The measures we set out in the Budget would mean quicker treatments, more GP appointments, and world-class facilities for people across Scotland.

“By March 2026, no-one will wait longer than 12 months for a new outpatient appointment, inpatient treatment or day case treatment with more than 150,000 extra patients treated as a result.”

Other measures in the draft Budget include improved access to GPs with expanded primary care services and additional resources to make it easier for people to see their GP.

To address delayed discharge and reduce waiting lists, £200m has been allocated in the 2025-26 Budget.

If approved by Parliament, this funding will expand the “Hospital at Home” service, allowing more patients to receive high-quality care at home instead of being admitted to a hospital.

Gray said: “With initiatives like these, we will build a modern, resilient NHS that delivers for everyone by providing innovative and effective care.

“But we will only be able to deliver these transformational investments and drive further improvements for patients if our Budget is agreed.

“Our NHS needs this Budget to pass – and I am urging Parliament to unite behind it.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: “New investment in our NHS made available by Labour’s austerity-ending budget is welcome, but it will take more than funding to save the service.

“After 17 years of the SNP the NHS has been plunged into crisis with nearly one in six Scots on waiting lists, A&E in disarray and some Scots facing waits of over a year.

“Scotland’s NHS needs new ideas and reform – not the same old failed SNP approach.”

Scottish Greens health spokeswoman Gillian Mackay MSP said the budget was a “perfect chance” for the Scottish Government to provide additional funding for recovery services for those who suffer from alcohol misuse.

The Scottish Greens said the money raised from Minimum Unit Pricing should be used for prevention services, not as profits for supermarkets.

Mackay said: “We are calling on the Government to introduce a Public Health Levy to help bring an end to Scotland’s dark history with alcohol misuse.”

Scottish Liberal Democrats health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: “The SNP have had almost two decades to make life better for patients and staff, but instead our NHS is facing untold pressure.

“My party want to do everything we can to make a difference, and it is clear the Government have listened to us in the pages of the draft Budget, whether that’s on GPs, dentists, family carers or key building projects.

“But the Government must now set out the detail of those commitments, and that’s why we will be putting pressure on them to do so and to make progress on other key priorities.”

Scottish Conservatives health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “The public have lost all faith in this incompetent SNP Government to tackle the crisis in our NHS.

“The SNP have been proven to have no vision for our NHS and their lack of leadership has led to waiting times skyrocketing and patients suffering as their operations are cancelled at the last minute.

“The Budget has provided more funding for our NHS but nothing will change without serious reforms to how our health service operates.

“Unless Neil Gray takes urgent action our NHS will face a winter collapse. The Scottish Conservatives are calling on the SNP to urgently increase capacity in primary care and introduce ‘Super Saturdays’ to make better use of facilities and clear backlogs.”